Chapter 9: Afanasy

What a coward!

What kind of father would abandon his flesh and blood just to save his own skin? There really was no dignity left in Harrison Everett. And to think his daughter was willing to go to such lengths for him.

I couldn't fathom Harrison's behavior toward his daughter, and his failure as a father infuriated me even more. He was unworthy of her love and affection—unworthy of anyone's love and affection.

Harvesting his organs suddenly felt like a mercy; he deserved worse for hurting Wren the way that he did. He deserved a slower and more painful punishment that would make him beg for death. But his pleas would fall on deaf ears.

Wren's teary eyes and quivering lips flashed in my head. The poor, naive girl didn't want to believe her father's selfishness—that he was capable of leaving her at the mercy of a monster who held her prisoner.

Her heart must’ve been crushed.

Wren was in deep trouble now that Harrison had fled the country. As his only blood relative, his debt was now hers to settle, and in accordance with the contract the fool had signed, she was now property of the Bratva.

My jaw clenched at the mere thought of that because I knew exactly what the Bratva did to girls in her situation.

Although I delighted in teasing and intimidating her, I didn't want her to face the consequences of her father's crimes.

She was too innocent and naive to suffer that fate. Would I be able to live with myself if I let the Bratva own her—strip her of her freedom?

The things they'd do to her, the horrors she'd face in the process of paying back what her irresponsible father owed….

Such a fragile thing. She wouldn't survive.

Wren had nothing to do with this in the first place, and it wouldn't be fair that she paid the price. I needed to do something to save her from the terrible fate.

I had a plan cooked up in my head, something so unexpected that it'd leave the men in my office astounded. They'd argue with my idea, bring up the terms of the contract, and remind me of how we never broke our code.

But I'd already thought it through, and I'd found the perfect loophole—a reasonable excuse that would eventually bypass the code.

My cousin, Alexei, and Yakov wouldn't see this coming, and I couldn't wait to see the shock on both their faces when I announced my plan.

“I'd like to commend you for a job well done, cousin,” Alexei said, his piercing blue eyes fixed on me, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Thank you,” I replied as I reclined in my chair, fingers twisting the edges of a Rubik's cube.

“Also, Pakhan Artem says to tell you that he’s impressed by how much progress you've made in such little time,” Alexei added, crossing legs.

“I'm glad he feels that way,” I replied, shooting a quick look at him.

Out of all of us, he was the one who worked closest to Pakhan Artem. It was a privilege, and Alexei always jumped at the chance to utilize it.

Alexei's gaze was unwavering, his blue eyes locked on me. “So, I hear there's an idiot who managed to slip through your fingers.” He leaned back in his chair, and with a measured tone, he added, his words evenly spaced, “$500,000 is a lot of money to sweep under the carpet, don't you think?”

Alexei was known for two distinctive traits: his unforgiving, stone-cold heart and his mercilessness. Now that he was here asking questions about Wren, it only meant that she was in deeper trouble than I thought.

My cousin wouldn't mind that she was a woman, or that she was a pretty one. No. Such things never moved him. The ice in his veins made him colder than my brother, Roman, and I couldn't bring myself to imagine what he'd do to her.

“I'm well aware of the situation, cousin,” I said, feeling a slight pang of irritation at his words.

“The solution to this is simple,” he said, a cold, calculating glint flickering in his eyes as a smug grin played on his lips. “You have his daughter as your prisoner, so the debt is as good as settled.” His face contorted into a cruel, self–satisfying sneer. “We’ll sell her off to the black market. I'm sure there's a lot of…perverted ass-licking connoisseurs who'd pay good money for her.”

My jaw tightened at his plan.

The men he was talking about were collectors, aficionados of fear and pain who relished in the tears and screams of the women they possessed. Those sick fucks always paid a fortune for rare, unspoiled goods, and considering that Wren was a virgin, they'd bid on the privilege of adding her to their collection.

“She's a pretty one. I'm sure they'll pay handsomely for her—maybe three times what her father owes us,” Yakov chipped in, sitting in the chair next to Alexei.

I shifted my gaze toward Yakov, flashing a disapproving glare that caused him to squint, perplexed by my reaction.

“Excellent. It's settled then,” Alexei said, his tone dripping with finality.

“No, it's not,” I declared.

Alexei's brows narrowed, his eyes shining with curiosity. “Okay?”

“I've got a better idea,” I said, my lips curling up into a smirk as I anticipated their reactions.

This should be fun.

They both cast their unwavering gazes on me, their brows furrowing ever so slightly.

I leaned forward, a sly smile spreading across my face as I announced my intention. “I'm going to marry her.”

For the next few seconds, the room was silent as a graveyard, both their eyes widening at my declaration.

“You're joking…right?” Alexei arched his brows, his eyes never leaving mine. “This is another one of your jokes, isn't it?”

“I'm afraid it's not.” My smile fell as I reclined in my chair, picking up the Rubik's cube I'd dropped on the table.

“You can't be serious,” Yakov said, his tone laced with disbelief.

I jerked my eyes toward him. “I've never been more serious in my life.”

Alexei uncrossed his legs and edged closer, his gaze lingering. “We have rules, cousin—rules that aren't meant to be broken,” he warned, his brows narrowing.

“I know.”

“Do you?” he questioned without letting me finish. “Because right now, it seems like you're willing to go against what the Bratva stands for.” A scowl settled on his face, accentuating his disapproval.

“I know the contents of the contract, cousin. I’m well aware that she's now the property of the Bratva due to her father's failure to keep his own part of the deal,” I explained, my voice calm and steady.

Alexei let out a soft scoff, shaking his head in confusion. “Then why are you doing this—why do you want to marry her?”

“Because I want to protect her,” I blurted out, shifting a stern look across the two of them.

Alexei's brows knitted together, and he reflexively pulled back a little before exchanging glances with Yakov. “Care to elaborate?” he asked, returning his gaze to me.

“It's simple,” I began, gently swaying in my chair. “If I marry Wren, she becomes mine, which means she'll no longer be a possession of the Bratva.”

Alexei squinted as though he was starting to catch up, his eyes never leaving my face.

“And once she's a member of the Tarasov family, she becomes untouchable, immune to whatever debts she owes,” I explained, fingers drumming on the mahogany table as I watched the amusement playing on their faces.

I was an evil genius—I'd always known that—and right now, it was hard to argue with my logic because my plan was still in accordance with the Bratva law. I wasn't breaking any rules or going against any of our codes. I’d simply found a loophole and used it to my own advantage.

Alexei chuckled, rubbing his eyes. “You clever bastard. You're doing this because you know the members of the Tarasov family aren't considered debtors to the Bratva.” A faint grin twitched at the corners of his lips, his tone laced with amusement. “Once she has the family, she'll be pardoned of her debt.”

I relaxed in my chair. “Now, you're catching on.”

“But why? Why are you so interested in her?” Alexei asked, his head tilting to the side.

My eyes left the Rubik's cube in my hand and settled on his curious face.

That was a good question.

With a soft exhale and squared shoulders, I began. “Because I know a good woman when I see one,” I said, my voice tinged with conviction, each word spoken with deliberate certainty. “And, cousin, believe me when I tell you this: Wren is a good woman.”

His brows arched, surprise plastered on his face. Then, Alexei's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me as if searching for hidden motives.

I continued, “She's different, Alexei. She's innocent and undeserving of the punishment for her father's crimes.” I paused, letting the words sink for a moment.

“Have you fucked her yet? Maybe if you fuck her, you'll realize she's not so different from the other girls,” Alexei blurted out, his voice calm and collected yet raw and harsh.

I didn't appreciate the disrespect in his tone, and my brows furrowed slightly, mirroring my displeasure. But I was going to let it slide this one time.

“She's not the type for a one-night stand,” I said, my eyes fixed on him. “Wren's the type you wanna keep for yourself. And that's exactly what I intend to do.”

Alexei's fingers combed through his dark hair before he swiped a palm across his face. He heaved a sigh, knowing that my mind was already made up and there was no room for further arguments.

Roman was right.

It was high time I found a wife and settled down. Who better than the naive, innocent little virgin whose life, at this moment, mattered to me more than anyone else's?

Wren seemed like a good option; this marriage would save her life, and I would, in turn, have her to myself for all eternity.

“Do you think she'll agree to that?” Yakov asked, his skeptical eyes locked on me. “What if she rejects your proposal?”

“She won't have a choice,” I replied, reveling in the thought of her reaction to my plan. “She's mine. I own her.”

My lips curled into a self–assured smirk.